Tale of a First-Time Home Buyer: Closing Day

We are down to 0 days to closing. That’s right, dear readers, we are closing on the new house tomorrow. If you’re reading this, it has probably already happened. Today we received our HUD-1 form from the mortgage company (more about HUD-1 Forms). After looking at the HUD-1 we knew exactly what our total monthly mortgage payment will be, as well as how much money we need to bring to the table for closing costs. Six months of preparation will culminate with us signing and initialing a whole bunch of pieces of paper and getting handed a set of keys to our brand new home.

I’m cool. I’m relaxed. The loan has already been approved, we know exactly how much we need to bring and how much we will be paying every month. My wife, on the other hand, is a nervous wreck. I keep telling her that there’s no reason to worry, it’s a done deal. But she’s just a worrier I guess.

Settlement is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s sure to be the craziest week of our lives. The following day, my boss Scott and I will be heading over to the house to install the garage door opener and a few other items. Then the next day I will be at the house at 8:00 am sharp to meet the cable guy whenever he decides to show up between 8:00 am and noon. The next day (Saturday) I’m picking up the moving truck at 8:30, meeting a gaggle of helpful friends at our storage unit, and moving all of our earthly belongings into the new house.

So we have quite a few busy days ahead of us, but nothing to be nervous about. I keep telling my wife it’s like football: we have drawn up a great plan, now we just have to execute. Failure is not an option. Ready? BREAK!

Are you closing on a house soon? Be sure to use U.S. Inspect's Pre-Closing Tips and Walkthrough Checklist!